Contributed by Michael Consalo
The Spot: Under 21 Music Venue
4/6/2017 – 6PM
MY House, The People's Paper, Q 99.7, Valley Arts Alliance, Mountain Sound & Entertainment, Barrett & Associates Insurance
MY House
300 N Willow St. Wasilla
FREE Event
The cold and snow didn’t stop a group of young musicians from rocking the night away at MY House on a Friday night. The Spot, an under 21 open mic-style, substance free music venue, opened its doors for the third night this year. The night started off with the staff of The Spot, Michael Consalo, Jerry Wessling and Dillon Winn, playing some tunes under the name “The Rough Spots”. The name of the staff band changes from week to week, always including “spot” in the name, just one of the many fun things that the staff do to lighten the mood as the evening kicks off.
The second act of the night was a real treat with a young lady doing slam poetry. Deep, insightful words poured from the youth as they talked about love, relationships and heartbreak. The crowd of 6-8 kids watched and listened intently, supporting their peer. We are hoping that more poets will use the space and share their craft with the group of musicians that is building monthly.
Back for the second month in a row, “Reason to Continue” hit the stage with their hard rock covers and melodies. Two brothers make up the band, Phil and Rob. Phil has been seen wearing a smile at every event, happy to be a part of The Spot. “I’ll be back every month!” Phil said as he helped his brother pack up their drum set for the evening.
Another young lady graced the stage and sang songs performed by “The Rough Spots”, the house band that can provide the music for a large list of songs if artists choose to simply sing. “Hey There Delilah”, “Rolling in the Deep” and others could be heard throughout the facility as another young artist grabbed the attention of those in attendance. Any under 21 singers are also welcome to bring their own instrumental tracks on a USB drive.
Being a substance free venue, the staff gathers some information on how substance abuse has impacted youth or their families. This time, it was identified that 60% of those in attendance had a family member affected by substance abuse; and if they didn’t have The Spot, 50% said they would have only one other place to potentially perform. The other 50% said that The Spot was their only option.
With more and more musicians and artists showing up each month, The Spot is really gaining traction. The next night will be on the first Friday of April, the 6th.
This wonderful event is still seeking sponsors and help reaching young musicians. If you would like to help or know musicians interested, please direct them to our Facebook (The Spot) or Instagram page (the_spot_wasilla).
